This is a very interesting award document (urkunde) for the Red Eagle Order 2nd Class. It is the earliest award document we have ever offered [with the exception of award documents for the 1813 Iron Cross 2nd Class signed by King Friedrich Wilhelm III, the grandfather of King (later Kaiser) Wilhelm I]. This document was signed by King Wilhelm I on 18 January 1863. The recipient was Dr. Albert Sigismund Jaspis, the Generalsuperintendant of Pommern in Stettin (1809-1885). The award was actually for the Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Bow. The use of the bow was a unique addition to the Red Eagle Order, which marked the recipient for the award of a higher class at a later date. The format of the document is identical to that which was used until the end of the Empire in 1918.

Description

This is a very interesting award document (urkunde) for the Red Eagle Order 2nd Class. It is the earliest award document we have ever offered [with the exception of award documents for the 1813 Iron Cross 2nd Class signed by King Friedrich Wilhelm III, the grandfather of King (later Kaiser) Wilhelm I]. This document was signed by King Wilhelm I on 18 January 1863. The recipient was Dr. Albert Sigismund Jaspis, the Generalsuperintendant of Pommern in Stettin (1809-1885). The award was actually for the Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Bow. The use of the bow was a unique addition to the Red Eagle Order, which marked the recipient for the award of a higher class at a later date. The format of the document is identical to that which was used until the end of the Empire in 1918.

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AUTOGRAPHED LETTER FROM PRINZ HEINRICH OF PRUSSIA

SKU: 19-92

$175.00

This is an original letter written by Prinz Heinrich of Prussia (1862-1929). Heinrich was the younger brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Heinrich served as the head of the Kaiserliche Marine in the rank of Großadmiral. He served in that capacity until he disagreed with Großadmiral Alfred von Tirpitz. Heinrich lost out on that power play when his older brother backed von Tirpitz. Interestingly, this handwritten letter is on an 8 3/4″ x 5 3/4″ piece of paper that has been folded in half and bears the embossed seal of the Kronprinzessin Cecilie. She was his niece by marriage, a princess from Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and the wife of his nephew, Kronprinz Wilhelm, the heir to the Hohenzollern throne and the man who never became Kaiser after the monarchy fell in 1918. This letter was written 22 April 1922 in black ink. A partial description of the letter in German is included.

In Prussia, promotion patents were presented to the officer on the occasion of his elevation. This document was presented to an Artillerie Hauptmann by König Friedrich Wilhelm IV. The promotion patent was a very elaborate document. The example measures 14 ½” x 8 7/8″ before it is unfolded. As the information often covered several pages, when fully open the document measures 14 ½” x 16.” This provided four pages, measuring 14 ½” x 8 7/8,” on which to write the pertinent information. In our document’s time period, royal court scribes produced these beautiful papers along with urkunden (award documents for orders and decorations). Our document commemorates the promotion of Hermann von Amsberg. He served in Feldartillerie-Regiment Prinzregent Luitpold von Bayern Nr 4. He was promoted from Premier Lieutenant (later, the rank became known as oberleutnant) to Hauptmann on 22 June 1852. The document was signed at Sanssouci, the Potsdam castle modeled on the French castle at Versailles. (The latter was built by Frederick the Great, a great admirer of French culture). The document is boldly signed by König Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1796-1861). Directly below his large signature we see the House of Hohenzollern’s embossed royal seal.
[Friedrich Wilhelm IV was the son of Friedrich Wilhelm III (1770–1840), Prussia’s King throughout the Napoleonic Wars. He also instituted the Iron Cross during his reign. Friedrich Wilhelm IV was Wilhelm I’s older brother. Friedrich Wilhelm suffered a stroke in 1857 that left him physically and mentally unable to continue his duties. Wilhelm I assumed the duties of a Regent and replaced his ailing brother. This continued until 1861 when Friedrich Wilhelm IV died, at which point Wilhelm I became King of Prussia. From that time onward, under the guidance of Wilhelm I, Otto von Bismarck (the Iron Chancellor), and Helmuth von Moltke, Germany’s path to unification under Prussian control and its emergence as a true European power was inevitable].
This amazing document is quite a piece of history. It is in remarkable condition for being more than ONE-HUNDRED-SIXTY years-old!

CLIPPED SIGNATURE – KÖNIG FRIEDRICH WILHELM IV OF PRUSSIA

SKU: 19-169

$225.00

König Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1795-1861) was the eldest son and successor to König Friedrich Wilhelm III (1770-1840), the King of Prussia during the Napoleonic Wars. When Friedrich Wilhelm III died in 1840, Friedrich Wilhelm IV assumed Prussia’s throne. He served from 1840 until 1857, when he was struck down by a stroke and was unable to continue as King. His younger brother, Wilhelm, assumed the role of Prinzregent, and held that position until his older brother died in 1861. Wilhelm I then became King of Prussia in 1861, and later Kaiser in 1871. Today we are offering a clipped signature of Friedrich Wilhelm IV. It is boldly signed and dated 1841. The signature and date appear on a piece of paper that measures 5” x 2 1/4.”

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About Us

I'm Kenneth (Ken) J. Greenfield, currently of New Port Richey, Florida, located on the West Coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay area. I started out as a collector of Imperial German Militaria, particularly items dealing with the Imperial German Air Service in the early 1960's. After more than forty years of avid collecting, I began to sell a few items to upgrade my collection and help finance my collecting "habit." I attended militaria shows, both to buy and sell. I wanted to spend more time at home and less traveling for the national companies that I had worked for; so, starting my own business seemed like an attractive alternative. I like nothing better than talking with others about militaria, and introducing newcomers to the joys of owning a "piece of history."